1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with an improved high speed process of making polyamide filaments wherein an additive selected from the group consisting of water, alcohols, and organic acids is added to a polymer, wherein the additive has a molecular weight of less than 400.
The present invention is classified in the area of synthetic resins, more particularly in the area of processes of preparing a desired or intentional composition of at least one nonreactant material and at least one solid polymer or specified intermediate condensation product, or product thereof, wherein the nonreactant material is added to the solid polymer. Within this main area, art related to the present invention may be found among organic nonreactant materials in which a carbon atom is singly bonded to an oxygen atom and wherein there is either: (a) only a single C- OH group and at least six carbon atoms or (b) at least two- OH groups. Also within this main area, related art may be found within the area in which the polymer is derived from ethylenic, nitrogen-containing reactants only wherein water is the nonreactant material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Applicant has located several prior art U.S. patents which are related to the present invention, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,100; U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,445; U.S. Pat. No. 2,615,002; U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,350; U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,766; U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,651; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,029. Applicant has also located several journal articles related to the nonobviousness of the present invention, including:
(a) V. S. Shirshin, V. Vais, et al., Effect of Polycaproamide Transport and Storage Conditions on Change in its Qualitative Indices, copyright 1984 Plenum Publishing Corporation, pp. 398-401.
(b) M. I. Kohan, Nylon Plastics, J. Wiley & Sons, copyright 1973, pp. 210 and 427-428.
The U.S. patents referred to above pertain to a material which is either residual or added to the polymer. However, non of these patents refer to high speed processes, i.e., processes in which the yarn is traveling at a speed which is greater than 3200 meters per minute. As is shown in the examples below, the effects of melt additives are opposite when comparing high and low speed processes.
The articles referred to above (a and b) teach that in high speed processes, the nylon polymer should contain as little water as possible. This is contrary to the present invention. The advent of high speed spinning technology has been relatively recent, and teachings related to production speeds versus polymer content are very rare in the high speed area.